Syrup-evaporator.



P. A. YODER.

SYRUP EVAPORATQR. APPLICATlON FILED APR.3, l9l5- 2 $HEETS-SHEET 1- 1L Patented-Nov, 27, 1917.

P. A. YODER.

SYRUP EVAPORATOR.

APPLICATION men APR.3. 1916.

Lfiwfi'j, Patented. Nov. 27, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

PETER A. YODER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA...

SYRUP-EVAPORATOR.

il,2d8,237.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2?, Twit t.

Application filed. Apri13, 1916. Serial No. 88,713.

(DEDICATED TO THE PUBLIC.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER A. YODER, a citizen of the United States of America, and an employee of the Department of Agriculture of the said United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, (whose post-office address is Washington, D. (1,) have invented new and useful Improvements in Syrup-Evaporators.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, Chapter 143 (22 Stat, 625), and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any of its oflicers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or any person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The object of my invention is to provide a syrup evaporator which is simple in construction and easily operated. My invention resides particularly in the type of floor, hereinafter described, of the vat of such evaporator. This floor is constructed of tubes fastened securely together with manifold attachment so as to enable the device to be heated by a hot liquid or gaseous medium by passing through the tubes of said floor. The tubes are constructed so as to hold the hot liquid or gas within them and to hold the cooler liquid outside, thereby preventing the cool liquid from passing through the fioor formed by them. These tubes are arranged in such a way as to enable them to present a relatively large heating surface, and they are constructed of material having sufiicient strength to withstand a relatively high internal pressure.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of my invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective top view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus, with the front end wall and part of right side of wall cut away;

Fig. 3 is a section of the tube-floor with manifolds removed and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the manifold attachments.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a support to which the body frame work of the apparatus is secured. B represents a floor of the apparatus, consisting of a series of tubes, C, fastened securely together, side by side. These tubes have openings, D and E, in their ends so that the hot medium may enter the tubes and pass therefrom when it has given up part of its heat. The hot medium enters the tubes through the inlets or openings, D, and passes out through the outlets or openings, E.

The tube, C, may be made of any suitable material and in any suitable shape and of any suitable dimensions. I find, in practice, that copper is the preferable material to employ in making the tubes, because it is a metal which combines high heating conductivity with a moderately high tensile strength and rigidity. In addition, it is a metal which does not easily corrode. The tubes, C, are of such length that, when fastened together, side by side, their lengths constitute one of the dimensions of the floor, B,which is employed for holding the liquid to be heated or evaporated.

The tubes, C, are fastened together by rivets, F. These rivets should be of suitable dimensions and placed at suitable intervals so that they may withstand the pressure of any steam employed as a heating agent. In practice, using 1-} inch No. 16 gage round copper tubes, I find that copper rivets of approximately of an inch in diameter and about of an inch stem connecting said tubes at intervals of about 1-1- inches, are satisfactory for securely holding said tubes together. In addition to riveting said tubes, I solder them together, as shown at G, so as tomake the tubes, C, form an impervious floor. This floor of the vat, with the mecha nism constituting the tubes riveted and soldered together, as described, may be constructed in one piece, or it may be constructed in sections so that the floor may be easily and conveniently set up and taken apart as occasion may require. The riveting internally of the tubes constituting the evaporating floor can readily be accomplished by the use of a few, relatively inexpensive, special tools. With straight tubes, having the rivet holes directly opposite each other on the two sides of the tubes, the rivets can be put in place by the use of a stick, a steel bar pushed behind the rivet head to serve as an anvil, and the rivet upset properly in the other tube by the use-of'a suitably shaped die held ,upon the rivet stem and a punch held through the hole opposite. Or, for greater convenience in placing the rivets and rivetingthem', more convenient special tools have been designed by me, not described herein.

To admit the steam or other hot gas or liquid medium to the tubes, C, I provide inlet manifolds, II, and in order to carry off the hot gas or liquid heating medium from tubes, C, I provide outlet manifolds, I. These manifolds may be constructed of any suitable material. Preferably they are made in length equal to the width of the tube floor, and they are attached to the said tube sections by having the openings, J, of the manifolds, H and I. engage the open ends, D and E, of the tubes, (J, by pinning and soldering, or in any other suitable way. In practice, it is preferable to have the manifolds, H and I, adjusted to the tubes, G, in a detachable manner- This form of adjustment may be accomplished by providing on the manifolds, hollow projections, K and L, milled externally toexactly fit inside the open ends, D and E, of the tubes. Copper pins, or screws may then be placed through the tube walls into these projections, to take the strain arising from internal pressure, and solder used to seal the joint. To disassemble forrepairs or for other purposes, these pins may be drilled out or the screws removed, and, with the soldered oint heated, the manifold can then be detached. To the floor, O, I adjust in any desirable manner a series of baffle plates N, suitably spaced, and to the sides of the evaporator I provide skimming troughs, O, which are employed for receiving the overflowing foam from the heated syrup in the vat, together with the scum which is carried on the foam. The

' troughs are built high at the syrup end and I ing back into the vat through any of the apertures, P, that may be left open for that purpose. Part of the scum would be left in the trough and could be removed by the operator and part would be carried back into the vat, mixing with new portions. of fresh juice, and there caught, in the scum. arising from this fresh juice as it. is being brought to the boiling temperature. I claim nothing original in the baflle plates or troughs. Any well known types: of these parts may be used in connection with m syrup evaporator.

is: apparent that such floor may be constructed in sections. If a sectional floor is desired,

it is merely necessary to construct the tubes and adjust them together in sections in the same Way, which I'have hereinbefore described for the construction of a single tube floor. there sectional tube-floors are used it is only necessary, in order to render that type of floor impervious to the liquid above,- to adjust a flange metallic strip lengthwise to the side ofeach section, the flange of one section to overlap that of the other and the two flanges soldered together along the seam thus formed. 7 V

In a tube-floor of the sectional type it is preferable to construct the manifold steam inlet, H, and the manifold condensed water outlet, I, in sections adapted to fit the open ends in the tube sectional: floor. Separate connection. between each section and the source of supply may be made, or the inlet manifold for each section may be constructed so, as to permit it to connect with the other section, thereby only makingit necessary to have one connecting pipe between the sectional inlet manifold and the source of supply. The outlet manifold may be constructed in sections similar to; the inlet manifold, so that one section of the outlet manifold may be adapted to. connect with. the manifold of the adjoining section, thereby avoiding the necessity of providing the outlet manifold of each tube section with'means for allowing-the escape of the water of condensation. It may be, at times, advantageous in the making of syrup; to subject the syrup duringthe heating process to different heating temperatures. The sectional tubefloor, herein described, if employed, would prove eflective in heating the syrup at clifferent temperatures, for the reason that, in cases where the heating medium is supplied separately to each. section, the heating supply may beregulated at different temperatures, thus, controlling the heating medruin passing through each section of the tube floor. In this way the syrup in passing, during; the process of heating, from one section to another could be subjected to varied temperatures. It also be advantageous in finishing out. any separate lot of juice and in starting a new lot, as at the end of a days run, the beginning of a new days run, or the change from one lot ofcane to a diflerent lot: of cane, from the syrup yield-is to be kept separate, One section after an other may in these cases have the steam shut ofi or turned on in succession as the product advances toward the syrup end.

Q is an outflow spout through Which the syrup flows from the vat to the retaining vessel upon completion of the heating operation. Any outflow spout in a continuous flow type evaporator may be used for this purpose.

The type of tube-fioor, herein described, is of advantage to syrup evaporators in that (1) the evaporator may be operated With a more shallow layer of juice than can be done by the steam coil types of apparatus now in use; (2) inconvenience in cleaning sediment from the floors of vats or evaporators having coils arranged above the floor is obviated; and (3) by applying heat at the floor instead of at a point at the surface of coils above the floor, as is done in steam coil types of evaporators noW in use, the bubbles of steam are caused to form at the floor and to buoy up the particles of sediment which accumulate there, thereby bringing these particles up with the scum at the surface, Where they may be removed by the skimmer, thus resulting in the production of a cleaner product.

If necessary, to give room in the vat for the foam resulting from the boiling, the tube-floor, C, may be extended at its sides by securing sheet metal to the heated portion of the floor and to the manifolds. I may further add that insulating material may be atlixed to the bottom end of the tube-floor, C, for preventing the loss of heat.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that the device described may be used for heating other liquids, for purposes other than syrup making, and that the construction with a series of tubes, as here applied to the floor, may as well be applied to the side Walls of the container, and the side walls may then, in a similar manner, serve the purpose of conveying heat to the liquid contained.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it Will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, ll claim:

1. A syrup evaporator comprising a vat provided with suitable supports and having an impervious floor consisting of a plurality of tubes fastened securely together, manifolds secured to the open ends of said tubes, baflie plates adjusted in said vat and troughs arranged along the sides thereof, said tubes and manifolds providing a passageway for heating medium for heating syrup, substantially as specified.

2. A syrup evaporator comprising a vat provided with supports having a floor consisting of a plurality of tubes fastened securely together and soldered for forming an impervious bottom, manifolds adjusted to the open ends of said tubes, baffle plates adjusted and spaced at intervals in said vat, and troughs arranged along the sides thereof, said tubes adapted to receive the heating medium for heating syrup, and means for allowing the heating medium to escape from the tubes, substantially as specified.

3. A syrup evaporator comprising a vat provided With supports having a floor consisting of a plurality of substantially circular tubes fastened securely together and soldered for forming an impervious bottom, manifolds adjusted to the open ends of said tubes, bafiie plates adjusted and spaced at intervals in said vat, and troughs arranged along the sides thereof, said tubes adapted to receive the heating medium for heating syrup, and means for allowing the heating medium to escape from the tubes, substantially as specified.

4. A syrup evaporator comprising a vat provided With supports having a floor consisting of a plurality of tubes riveted securely together and soldered for forming an impervious bottom, manifolds adjusted to the open ends of said tubes, baf le plates adjusted and spaced at intervals in said vat, and troughs arranged along the sides thereof, said tubes adapted to receive the heating medium for heating syrup, and means for allowing the heating medium to escape from the tubes, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER A. YODER. Witnesses:

JAMES E. J ONES, W. E. TAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0. 

